The room block expires at September 25, 2017 to receive the group rate. Making reservations by this deadline does not guarantee that a room will be available so it is recommended that you book your room as soon as possible. Sessions will begin at 1 PM MT on Tuesday, October 17 and conclude at 8:30 PM on Thursday, October 19.

If you wish to make your reservation by calling the hotel directly, please call (800) 468-3571 or (303) 399-7500 and refer to the NASDA/Tri-National Accord group block to receive the block rate.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and USTR Representative Robert Lighthizer announced an agreement with Colombia to allow for expanded market access for U.S. paddy rice exports.

A 2012 agreement previously enabled exports of U.S paddy rice to Colombia under strict and costly requirements relating to phytosanitary concerns. The new agreement lifts those requirements and expands access beyond the port of Barranquilla, which was the only port previously opened for U.S exporters.

Colombia is the U.S.’s 12th largest export market for food and agricultural products and has seen a small but growing share of total U.S. rice exports, which reached $15 million in 2016.

President Trump announced that the U.S. and Argentina have agreed to terms that will allow U.S. pork to enter the Argentine market for the first time since 1992. The United States is the world’s top pork exporter and this agreement opens up a potential $10 million per year market for U.S. pork producers.

Argentina blocked pork exports in 1992 for animal health concerns. The new agreement will make all fresh, chilled, and frozen pork and pork products eligible for export to Argentina. Argentine food safety officials will visit the U.S. and conduct on-site verification of the U.S. meat inspection system.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced South Korea has agreed to lift a ban imposed in March that closed its market to American poultry and fresh eggs as a response to a spate of bird flu cases in the U.S.

South Korea’s current policy is to impose a ban on all U.S. poultry in response to any detection of bird flu in the United States instead of limiting restrictions to imports from affected areas. USDA officials are working with their counterparts in South Korea to take a regional approach to future import bans, which would be consistent with international guidelines, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said

U.S. poultry exports to South Korea before the ban totaled $12 million, a $10 million increase over the same period of time last year, according to the USDA. The last full year that U.S. poultry exports didn’t face any HPAI related restrictions was 2014 where $122 million in U.S. poultry products were purchased, making South Korea the 10th largest export ...

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) is accepting 2017 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) grant applications. The SCMP offers grants to project partners to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address regional or national level specialty-crop issues including: food safety; plant pests and disease; research; crop-specific projects addressing common issues; and marketing and promotion. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS).

NASDA prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities requiring alternative means of communication of program information should contact NASDA at 202-296-9680.